Chapter 127 She Died
At that exact moment, the wedding car Quinley was supposed to be in drove onto the bridge.
Inside sat a woman who looked exactly like her—white wedding dress, flawless makeup, eyes glinting with something almost sinister.
"Sir, did you take a detour or something? Why's it taking so long?" she snapped at the driver impatiently.
"That other road was too congested. This way's the same distance. Don't worry, we'll be there soon." The driver smiled as he explained.
The woman leaned back, gazing out the window. The sun blazed overhead—a gorgeous, bright day.
At a red light, the driver pressed the brake, but the car suddenly wouldn't respond.
"Hey! Red light! Don't you see it?" the woman shrieked.
The driver gritted his teeth, gripping the wheel with both hands and slamming the brake pedal to the floor. "The brakes aren't working!"
The car veered sharply, heading straight for Happiness Bridge. The woman panicked, clutching the door handle.
A deafening crash—the car smashed through the railing and plunged into the sea.
At the Brown family home, everything was decorated festively, bursting with celebration. Sophia wore a red silk dress, cheerfully greeting guests. She glanced at her watch. Almost eleven, and the wedding car still hadn't arrived.
"David, call and ask why Quinny's not here yet. We can't miss the auspicious timing!" Marlee pulled David aside, urging him quietly.
David looked sharp in his white suit, riding high on excitement.
"Sure, I'll call now."
He pulled out his phone and found a quiet corner. But weirdly, the phone rang and rang with no answer.
"Did the bride bail? Ha, I told you this would happen, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're not just embarrassing yourself—you're dragging us down too," Lisa said, arms crossed, voice dripping with sarcasm.
David refused to give up. He tried again. Still no answer.
"Shut your jinx mouth."
Lisa rolled her eyes and sauntered off.
When Quinley's phone went nowhere, David called the wedding company, then tried the driver's number. Same thing—no answer.
Something clicked. He broke into a run, heading downstairs.
"David, when's Quinny getting here?" Sophia called after him.
His face had gone pale. "Mom, I need to go out."
He rushed toward the exit. Sophia hurried after him. "You're the groom! You can't leave before the ceremony—it's tradition!"
But David didn't care about tradition anymore. He jumped in his car and sped toward the hotel where Quinley had been staying.
When he arrived, Marlee was just about to leave.
"Mr. Brown, what are you doing here?"
She looked completely confused.
"Where's Quinny? Where is she?" David's voice was tight with panic.
"She got in the wedding car ages ago. She should've reached your place by now!"
Marlee had no idea what was happening. David didn't explain, but his expression said everything.
Just then, the TV in the hotel lobby cut to breaking local news.
"Around 10:40 this morning, a wedding car crashed through the railing of Happiness Bridge and plunged into the water. The fire department has launched a rescue operation. Two people from the vehicle are being transported to the hospital..."
David froze. Then he bolted.
Twenty minutes later, he burst into Serenity Health Center. But what waited for him was devastating news.
The woman in the wedding dress was dead.
He refused to believe it. "No. That's impossible. She can't be dead."
Not until he went to the morgue and saw her—lying perfectly still in that white dress—did reality start to sink in. He walked closer, eyes wide, staring at her for what felt like forever.
"Quinley, are you really gone?" he whispered.
Her eyes were closed. Her body had gone cold. David reached out and touched her lips. Ice cold.
She was dead. But somehow the driver had survived.
When David stormed into the hospital room, the man had just regained consciousness. He'd survived, but barely—five broken ribs, one arm shattered.
"Talk. What the hell happened?" David grabbed him by the collar, voice deadly quiet.
"The... the brakes failed. I couldn't... I couldn't control the car. It just... went over..." The driver's voice shook violently.
"Why aren't you dead?" David's grip tightened.
The driver was too terrified to speak another word.
Rage consumed David. With nowhere to direct his fury, he turned and started punching the wall over and over.
Three years. They'd agreed she'd stay with him for three years. And now she'd broken that promise by dying. He'd prepared this grand wedding, and she'd missed it.
He went back to the morgue, wanting one last look. Marlee was already there, collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Quinny, my Quinny."
Tears streamed down her face. "Mr. Brown, how could Quinny just be gone?"
She grabbed David's arm. He shook her off roughly.
"Don't ask me. I don't know."
He walked over and stood before the body, taking one long, final look. Then suddenly, a cold, eerie smile twisted his lips.
"You win."
With that, he turned and walked out.
In Los Angeles, Zachary had just landed and thrown himself straight into work mode. Lucas was practically dizzy with jet lag. "Mr. Jennings, it's a rest day. You just got here—maybe get some sleep?"
Zachary shot him a look. "Are you a pig? All you do is sleep."
Lucas had no comeback for that. When Zachary worked himself to death, Lucas had no choice but to keep up.
At noon—exactly when the wedding ceremony should've been happening—Zachary's right eye kept twitching.
Suddenly, he spoke. "Call Ms. Gomez. Have her attend the wedding."
In the end, he couldn't let Quinley go.
Lucas nodded. "Right away."
He dialed Adela's number, framing it as a company request rather than mentioning it was Zachary's idea. Before Lucas could finish explaining, Adela cut him off.
"Mr. Murphy, you don't need to. The wedding's been cancelled."
"Cancelled?" Lucas's voice shot up.
Zachary, who'd been reviewing documents, dropped his pen. It clattered to the floor. He snatched the phone from Lucas's hand just as Adela's voice came through the speaker.
"The wedding car Ms. Elikin was in... there was an accident. She's dead. I just found out myself. It happened about an hour ago. By the time they got her to the hospital, she was already gone..."
The phone slipped from Zachary's grip and hit the floor with a sharp crack.
Dead? How could Quinley just be dead?
He didn't believe it. Couldn't believe it.
"Get the private jet ready. We're going back. Now."
Lucas immediately made the arrangements.
Ten hours later, the plane touched down in Rosewood City. But what greeted Zachary was a photograph—Quinley's face frozen in a smile that would never move again.